"What if the prophecies are true?" asks a Californian businessman known in the web for selling nuclear bomb and asteroid-proof clandestine bunkers.

The Daily Mail spoke to at least two buyers of the bunkers, both of whom only make up a tiny fraction of people who have shelled out a huge amount of money in the hopes of protecting themselves in times of massive tragedies.

Americans are reportedly rushing to buy AU$ 25 survival guides just to keep themselves informed of what could happen should the prediction come to pass.

The Doomsday bunkers, meanwhile, reportedly costs AU$ 48,000 per-person.

David Morrison, senior scientist at the NASA Astrobiology Institute, confirmed there are many members of the public who are extremely worried over spreading news that the Mayans have predicted the world will end in 2012.

In fact, Mr. Morrison said he had been receiving about ten emails a day from worried members of the public who are 'seriously, seriously upset' over the Mayan prediction. Some of the emails are too personal, with remarks on almost unmanageable fears and even suicidal thoughts.

'Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012,' says NASA on its website.

'Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than four billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.'

NASA's words seem to mean nothing to others who can afford to pay for extreme safety measures in worst case scenarios.

Robert Vicino, a Californian businessman who is building the luxury bunkers in secret locations, promotes the properties by asking the market: "What if the prophecies are true? Which side of the door do you want to be on?"

The Daily Mail spoke to Steve Cramer, who already made a reservation for a bunker for his family, insists he is not acting on baseless fears.

"We're not crazy people: these are fearful times. My family wants to survive. You have to be prepared," he said.

Other affluent families who have secured a spot in the publicized nuclear bomb and asteroid-proof bunkers all say they only wanted to make sure they have exhausted all means possible in securing their safety in case tragedies of large-scale proportions strike in 2012 as predicted.

Jason Hodge, another bunker buyer says, "I want to make sure I have a place I can take me (sic) and my family if that worst-case scenario were to happen."

Several researchers have noted that the Mayans did not specify exactly what would happen in 2012. A variety of speculations have spread about the prediction, including one that says the world will not literally end and will only experience huge significant changes, and another that says the Mayans knew the world will indeed end in 2012. Many other versions have been reported many times over, and the public's imagination has gone wild all over the world.

alks of the 2012 phenomenon are expected to grow and see months before it ends. While the Mayan prediction has been the subject of many television programmes and films, these features provided neither answers nor comfort to the anxious members of the global society who are at least partially convinced that the world will come to its end this year.